Measles Outbreak Traces To Vaccine-Refusing Megachurch

A measles outbreak in Texas traces to a congregation of a megachurch whose leader, Kenneth Copeland, reportedly has warned followers away from vaccines, advocating for faith healing and pushing the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism. One of Copeland’s churches, Eagle Mountain International Church in North Texas, is the epicenter of the outbreak, which now has hit at least 20 people [UPDATE, 8/27/13: now at 21 in north Texas and one new case confirmed in southeast Texas, link to church not established]. According to USA Today’s Liz Szabo,

Those sickened by measles include nine children and six adults, ranging in age from 4 months old to 44 years old. At least 12 of those infected were not fully immunized against measles, Roy says. The other patients lack documents to show whether they were vaccinated.

Just as Wales is paying the price of the autism-measles vaccine panic begun 15 years ago, so is this Texas community. In the wake of the outbreak, the church’s pastor and Kenneth Copeland’s daughter, Terri Copeland Pearsons, was urging congregants take advantage of a couple of free vaccination clinics the church suddenly has on offer or to self quarantine at home for two weeks if they didn’t want to receive vaccinations.

The chain of infection began with a person who traveled somewhere outside the US where measles remains common. Unaware of being infected with the virus, this person then attended services at the church, reportedly even coming in contact with people in the childcare room, which might explain why a 4-month-old baby has been infected.

The first two patients were identified nine days ago. As of Friday, 15 cases had been diagnosed in Tarrant County, Texas, and another five had been treated in its neighboring county of Denton. All of the cases trace to the Eagle Mountain congregation. Five more Texas measles cases from this year are not connected to this outbreak. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services issued a health alert related to the Eagle Mountain outbreak on August 16, and the alert remains in effect. Symptoms of infection with the measles virus, which can spread via droplets released during coughing and sneezing, show up from 8 to 12 days after exposure. Symptoms include a characteristic rash, cough, fever, and pain, and there is no treatment. More serious outcomes can range from pneumonia to brain inflammation and death.

Measles is so wildly infectious that neighboring counties aren’t the only geographical areas of concern. Public health workers in neighboring states also are on alert. Health officials in Oklahoma, describing measles as capable of “spreading like wildfire,” are watching the North Texas outbreak closely, given that Tarrant and Denton counties lie just south of the Oklahoma border on a major interstate highway corridor.

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I am standing by for Ms Mc Carthy to use her new position on a daily TV show to spread this ‘message’ even further.. Yet — I don’t see anything remotely resembling the title of MD, next to her name.. Too bad that won’t make a difference to many viewers… I just wish I could ensure my kid wasn’t sitting in a classroom or school with children that were a high risk for carrying a preventable disease..

Republicans are so enthralled by life 100 years ago that, when they clumsily Bumble-Christ their way into our reality long enough, they manage to give their children diseases we eradicated generations ago.

While people opposed to vaccinating their children can be found across the political spectrum, I have noticed–and I think some have written about–the increasing appeal to people on the far right to forgo vaccines, not in the name of religious belief (religious exemptions to vaccines are nothing new) but in the name of rejecting “government intervention” in their lives.

Actually most of the pertussis/whooping cough cases, are in children who have been vaccinated…don’t take my word for it, look it up. Vaccines don’t always work, and often people have a mild case, which goes undiagnosed. You also aren’t guaranteed death for many of these illnesses, death is a small percentage and a worst case scenario, many have the diseases and aren’t even aware, other than feeling ‘a bit under the weather’. If you are worried, and don’t trust your body’s immune system, if you live on crap food, and no sleep, then by all means get vaccinated, but leave those of us who have done the research and made an informed choice alone. ‘Science” and ‘fact’ change every 10 years or so…so don’t take it as your gospel…

I’ve provided a link explaining why what you’ve written in your opening line above is incorrect. I also noted that not all vaccines supply complete coverage but that they do still confer a benefit of reduced symptoms and contribute to herd immunity even if partially effective. No one has said death is guaranteed, but it’s a risk (a very high risk for some diseases against which we vaccinate) whereas that risk does not exist with vaccination.

The latter part of what you’ve written is a classic–absolutely classic–’blaming the victim for becoming sick’ tactic. It represents a ‘just-world fallacy’ in which the person presenting it, i.e., you, feels that if you engage in certain behaviors, you will reap the positive rewards (such as not dying or developing permanent diability from disease) and be protected somehow, whether there is a connection or not. It’s a form of magical “not me because I do this” thinking. But ‘crap food’ and no sleep versus great nutrition and good sleep have little to nothing to do with the transmission of infection, and trusting one’s immune system–whatever that means–has nothing at all to do with it. Are you seriously suggesting that an infant, a breastfeeding infant, who contracts pertussis or measles and dies is somehow to blame because of living on “crap food and no sleep”? Or that a fetus that dies in the womb from an infection did so because of a lack of trust in its immune system? The vast majority of people who die from most vaccine-preventable illnesses are children, and their level of trust in their immune systems is irrelevant. That kind of blaming is not welcome here, nor is it rational or evidence based. Nature doesn’t give a rip about whether or not you or the infants you endanger by not getting vaccinated “trust” your immune system. If it makes you feel better to think that what you’re doing is superior to what those who contract infections and die from them are doing and protects you, OK, but that’s really something you should keep to yourself.

@John Thorpe, your statement is so moronically incorrect. I am a Republican. I have always believed in God. I am a woman, a mother, a daughter, a widow of a Air Force husband, a sister, an aunt, and a nurse. I made sure all of my children had their vaccinations. And I have had normal vaccinations needed for living in the US as well as many more that were required for me to work in Iraq. Your attempt to politicize vaccinations is utterly …. mmm, stupid is the most accurate word that comes to mind! Shame on you!